Cocaine
By: Kate Annecchino
What is it?
Cocaine is a powder that you snort and is made from the coca plant.
Slang Words:
1) Blow
2) Candy
3) Bump
4) Snow
5) Coke
Side Effects:
1) High heart rate
2) High blood pressure
3) Seizures
4) Cardiac Arrest
5) Death
The Risks:
According to Above the Influence, "Cocaine is a powerful stimulant, which means it might keep you wired, but not without major risks. Cocaine causes your blood vessels to constrict immediately, increasing your heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature. At first, this may make you sweaty and shaky, but seizures, cardiac arrest and even death are real risks. The risk of sudden death is even greater when cocaine is combined with alcohol." (http://www.abovetheinfluence.com/facts/drugscocaine)
Short Term Effects (Drug Free World)
- Loss of appetite
- Increased heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature
- Contracted blood vessels
- Increased rate of breathing
- Dilated pupils
- Disturbed sleep patterns
- Nausea
- Hyperstimulation
- Bizarre, erratic, sometimes violent behavior
- Hallucinations, hyperexcitability, irritability
- Tactile hallucination that creates the illusion of bugs burrowing under the skin
- Intense euphoria
- Anxiety and paranoia
- Depression
- Intense drug craving
- Panic and psychosis
- Convulsions, seizures and sudden death from high doses (even one time)
Long Term Effects (Drug Free World)
- Permanent damage to blood vessels of ear and brain, high blood pressure, leading to heart attacks, strokes and death
- Liver, kidney and lung damage
- Severe chest pains
- Respiratory failure
- Infectious diseases and abscesses if injected
- Malnutrition, weight loss
- Severe tooth decay
- Auditory and tactile hallucinations
- Sexual problems, reproductive damage and infertility (for both men and women)
- Disorientation, apathy, confused exhaustion
- Irritability and mood disturbances
- Increased frequency of risky behavior
- Delirium or psychosis
- Severe depression
- Tolerance and addiction (even after just one use)
Short Stories
http://www.cascotland.org.uk/stories
The site above gives 3 different stories about people and there addiction and how they over came there dependency.
For More Information
http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/drugs/cocaine-crack-cocaine.html
http://www.abovetheinfluence.com/facts/drugscocaine
http://www.cocaineaddiction.ws/Cocaine_Statistics.htm
http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/cocaine/the-truth-about-drugs.html
http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/cocaine/a-short-history.html
http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/cocaine.html#adeadlywhitepowder
http://www.drugfreeworld.org/#/interactive
http://www.justthinktwice.com/drugs/cocaine.html
Websites/Sources Used
Advice
The way that you can stay away from drugs is to hang out with the right crowd. It doesn't make sense,if you don't want to drugs don't hang out with people that do them. Cocaine is one of the most addictive and dangerous drugs. Taking cocaine could kill you or cause serious brain damage and know one wants to talk that risk. You heard don't do this and don't do that, but this is something that could risk your life and even though it is your decision make the right one and don't do cocaine.
Statistics
(Found on http://www.cocaineaddiction.ws/Cocaine_Statistics.htm)
- 5,000 people everyday try cocaine for the first time.
- 75% of all people who try cocaine become addicted to the drug. Without help from cocaine addiction treatment or rehab, only 1 in 4 people quite cocaine on their own.
- The highest rate of cocaine use happens with young adults, age 18-25.
- Columbia exports more cocaine then coffee world wide, making cocaine Columbia's top export. Cocaine is a 35 billion dollar per year industry for Columbia.
- The United States is the largest importer of Cocaine in the world. 1.5 million Americans reportedly use cocaine at least once every month.
- 90% of people who have used cocaine started with alcohol or marijuana before trying cocaine.